We have just reached the end of vintage and have celebrated that milestone by twisting winemaker Carl's arm to make this video - enjoy!
Is it really two months since my last post?! New winery under construction The new winery is now making great progress, the landscaping is almost all complete, and the grapes are ripening - slowly in response to our cold, rainy summer...
In the past 2 years, the New Zealand wine industry took a hammering from low priced competition, high exchange rates, the global financial crisis, over-production, high gearing, and banks not making credit available (interestingly these were the same banks that 4 or 5 years ago were throwing money at vineyards, but that's banks for you)...
Last Sunday, 20th of November celebrated 20 years of Toast Martinborough. It was a beautiful day with over 11,500 people sharing good food, wine and music with the region's wineries. A wonderful day was had by all at our Toast Martinborough site this year...
New Grand Entrance (to be) Many of you have asked for more information on what we are doing with building extensions and landscaping. There are quite a few things under way. The tasting room is being extended to cater for the increasing number of visitor who join us for tastings or the incredibly popular 'Grape to Glass'tour...
There are exciting times ahead at Murdoch James Estate. New stairway down cliff under construction We have recently purchased an adjoinging vineyard which now takes us up to 38 hectares of planted vines, and are building a new winery. Plus we are undertaking a major landscaping project to make the site look even more appealing to visitors...
At Murdoch James Estate, we have one of the oldest if not the oldest, balloon presses in NewZealand. It is a Wilmes, made in Germany, and dates from the late 1950's we believe.This is not one of your modern computer controlled, hands-off, "press'start' and come back later" wine presses...
A few months ago, Nicola asked me if I would help Lynn (who runs our cellar door facility at the vineyard), with a Women's Expo in Palmerston North. What a chore I thought. Until I got there. I was one of only a few men in a room of hundreds of women...
What's new at Murdoch James Estate then? Well, those that follow my blog will know, we are fully committed to sustainable practices, and to us that means more than just monoculture and industrial scale wine making. For a long time now we have partnered the grapes with sheep to mow the grass, and have run Angus cattle on our unplanted land...
I sometimes think a lot of folk get the impression that wine is all about growing the grapes in the vineyard and then converting them to wine in the winery. That is true to a large extent, as is the reality that the making of a great wine comes down to the creative talents of the winemaker...
Followers will have read in some my old blogs that Pinot Noir is a grape that can mutate quickly to Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc or Pinot Meunier. In each variety there are also lots of different clones. All occur quite naturally - no genetic engineering here! I found a good explanation of this recently on the 'pinotnoir.com' website...
Now you all know from past blogs, that I have always thought Martinborough is the only place in New Zealand to grow classic Pinot Noir. By classic, I mean complex, layered, textured, savoury, lingering and long-lived...
This winemaking is such a serious business, that I had to share this very different experience with you. The consequences! Our vineyard is about 32 hectares in size, but we only have around 22 hectares in vines. We also have about 10 hectares that we graze cattle on...
I'm in Singapore this week for the NZ wine promo. Tonight (Saturday evening) was a consumer tasting at Loof. Loof is a rooftop bar/restaurant in that great city. They describe themselves as: "loof is a bar on a roof, a playfully versatile space which is multidimensional, split-level, and a juxtaposition of raw against refined...
A few months ago, we made the hard decision to remove our 26 year old Chardonnay vines. They were ungrafted plants which, for those that do not know, meant that they were vulnerable to phylloxera which is a sap-sucking bug related to aphids. This bug eventually drains so much goodness from the vines that the plant will die...
Obituary: Pepper Fraser. Pepper - The Chardonnay 'Guard Dog'! Last week we lost our beloved Pepper. For those that do not know she was an Airedale we raised in Australia and brought back to New Zealand when we came home to plant our first vineyard...
Lot's been happening in the last few weeks. Firstly one of our New Zealand distributors has merged with another company and no longer need us, so we have been given the 'pink slip' and asked to move on. Not too bad an outcome actually as they did not sell a lot of our wine, but still disappointing after all the work we put in...
Yesterday was one of the hardest days I have worked in a long time! We participated in the New Zealand Winegrowers Toko Wine Fair, and the turnout was exceptional. There was a trade tasting first, from 12.30 to 5.00pm, than a short break, followed by a consumer tasting from 6.30 to 9.00pm...
Well, we hosted our Martinborough vs Otago wine and food dinner at Ortega last Tuesday with a sell out crowd upstair for the dinner, and the Welsh rugby team downstairs dining as well. We were hoping for some fine Welsh songs later in the evening, but none eventuated...
Started puning this week and guess what!? After one of the very best spells of autumn weather on record, we have just had two weeks of almost solid rain, so the team are doing what they can in the few clear spells we have had. I admire their perseverance as the work solidly in the cold weather...
A few blogs back, I was chatting about how fantastic a Winemakers Dinner we hosted in Hong Kong had gone...
Back home now, to the most stunning Autumn weather we have ever experienced. How's this for a sunset?! All grapes are in now, and while the quantity is a little down on 2009, the 2010 quality is great. We are looking forward to finishing the ferments and seeing what the final wines look like...
Well another day, another country, and don't let anyone tell me that international travel is fun. I have now been travelling for two weeks promoting Murdoch James Estate wines in Vietnam and Hong Kong and while the customer interaction is fantastic, I have to say that the travel itself is not...
Have been in Hong Kong a few days now promoting Murdoch James Estate wines, after leaving Hanoi on Wednesday last. Vietnam was a great country to visit, and the contrast between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi was dramatic.The former, bustling and growing fast, but with that change a lot of history has gone...
I was recently asked by one of my followers on Facebook, where in Australia you can purchase Murdoch James Estate wines. The best places are any Vintage Cellars fine wine store (there are lots in most states) or the fine wine section in First Choice stores. Enjoy! For more information, click on www.murdochjames.co.nz or www.vintagecellars.com.au